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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
U.S. Forces Ramp Up In The Caribbean; U.S. Sanctions Colombian President And His Family; Zelenskyy Meets With World Leaders Of "Coalition Of The Willing"; Canadian Premier Pulls Ronald Reagan Tariff Ad; U.S. Secretary Of State Marco Rubio In Israel; Trump Repeatedly Claims Inflation Is Not A Problem; ICE Treatment Of Pregnant Detainees. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired October 24, 2025 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers, joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington, and you're watching
"The Brief."
Just ahead this hour, the U.S. sends an aircraft carrier strike group to the Caribbean amid growing tensions with Venezuela. The premier of Ontario,
Canada says he will pause an ad campaign featuring Ronald Reagan, which scuttled trade talks with the U.S. Canada and the U.S. are meeting on the
baseball diamond, however, as the World Series gets underway tonight. We're live at the Rogers Centre where the L.A. Dodgers are set to take on the
Toronto Blue Jays.
Well, the largest warship on the planet is now on its way to the Caribbean in a major show of force by the U.S. The USS Gerald R. Ford is leading a
strike group to the region at the orders of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. It looks set to join a pressure campaign against Venezuela and growing U.S.
attacks on alleged drug runners there. Its deployment comes as the U.S. says it hit another narco-terrorist boat in the Caribbean overnight,
killing six people in that strike there.
U.S. officials tell CNN that President Trump is considering plans now to target cocaine facilities inside Venezuela. Venezuela, we should note, is
not known to be a major source of cocaine, but the White House is attempting to link the leader of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, to the drug
trade.
Joining us now from Washington, our State Department reporter Jennifer Hansler. Let's begin with the carrier group heading there. That would
certainly give the U.S. more military capabilities on hand in the region.
JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: That's right, Jim. And that adds to this huge buildup of assets that we're already seeing in the
Caribbean and around Central and South America. They had already deployed dozens of fighter jets, helicopters, carriers, and thousands and thousands
of troops have been deployed to the region as part of what they are describing as their war on drug trafficking.
Now, the addition of the USS Ford is as they are taking these aggressive, aggressive actions against these alleged drug boats. As you noted, Pete
Hegseth announced that there was another strike overnight on an alleged drug vessel. This is the 10th known military strike on one of these alleged
boats. Just the third this week alone, and they have killed some 43 people.
Now, there are mounting questions about the legality of this military campaign. And if this continues and escalates, those questions are going to
be further advanced because the administration has provided virtually no evidence to support their claims that these are drug trafficking vessels.
Most of these are quite small dinghies. They have not provided evidence that the people on board these boats are, in fact, drug traffickers. And
analysts say that even if they are, this is not a capital offense and there could be serious legal implications of them killing these people in
international waters without bringing them to court and interdicting as had been the past precedent for decades and decades in combating drug
trafficking here, Jim.
SCIUTTO: It's basically summary executions, right? Tell us more about what's behind the new sanctions on Colombia in particular, given that
Venezuela to date has been the primary target of operations there.
HANSLER: Yes. I mean, it's been a busy day. And we have seen -- now the Trump administration is almost escalating Petro to the same degree as
Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Today, they imposed sanctions on Petro. They say they have -- he has not done enough to combat drug trafficking in
his country. They claim there has been an explosion of cocaine in Colombia under his leadership. This is the latest in the diplomatic escalation
between Petro and Trump. These are two political leaders who do not like each other to say the least.
We saw the U.S. earlier last month revoke Petro's visa to the United States following the U.N. General Assembly. They have decertified Colombia as a
partner in countering trafficking of drugs. So, this is a continued escalation. Petro has -- he quickly responded, I should say, and he said he
would be fighting back and he's retained actually legal counsel in this matter.
SCIUTTO: Jennifer Hansler, thanks so much. Well, Russia's top economic envoy says President Trump's diplomatic approach will lead to a lasting
resolution of the war in Ukraine.
[18:05:00]
Kirill Dmitriev is the head of the Russian Sovereign Wealth Fund. He's been visiting Washington and he spoke a short while ago to CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIRILL DMITRIEV, KREMLIN SPECIAL ENVOY: I think his big success is having dialogue with Russia. And by the way, we had the first stop of heating on
energy infrastructure of Russia and Ukraine because of President Trump. And I'm sure this conflict will have a diplomatic solution. So, all those
efforts will lead to a result.
I think a very important solution that came out of Alaska is that it's not just about ceasefire, but about having a final solution to the conflict so
that the conflict doesn't resume. So, the meeting between President Putin and President Trump will happen, but probably at a later date. And I'm sure
that his diplomatic efforts will succeed because it's much better to have dialogue with Russia than like President Biden had no dialogue with Russia,
wanted to have strategic defeat of Russia. And obviously that strategy failed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: A White House official says Dmitriev is expected to meet on Saturday in Miami with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. Earlier today, the
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy met in London with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and some other members of the Coalition of the
Willing, as it's come to be known. He once again emphasized the role of the U.S. to potentially end the war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: We're not finding and we're not searching the way how to stop Putin and how to finish this war without the
United States. So, our plan is to make strong steps together. That is the plan, by the way, of Putin. He wants to divide us, to make us weaker.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer joins me now. I wonder, first of all, what you make of Russia sending its economic envoy to
the U.S. immediately following Trump imposing sanctions he'd threatened for months, but finally has now imposed on two Russian oil companies. I imagine
that's a sign that Russia's taking these sanctions quite seriously.
STEVEN PIFER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: No, I think you're right, Jim. And Mr. Dmitriev comes here, I think, because he's tried to talk up
the economic potential, the commercial potential of better U.S.-Russia relations. But I think he is really overselling this. If you look over the
past 30 years, the best year of American exports to Russia was maybe 2012, when the exports were about $12 billion of a total U.S. export market of $2
trillion.
So, I think Dmitriev's coming here, again, to try to persuade Mr. Witkoff and then President Trump that there's some real economic and commercial
opportunities that I'm not sure are there.
SCIUTTO: Yes, it's never made much sense to me, given that Russia's really main export is oil. The U.S. is now an oil exporter itself. So, who's going
to sell what to whom, I mean, is a basic question. Tell me about what we saw take place in London, because part of the reason there's this Coalition
of the Willing, right, is because it seems that Europe realizes they might not be able to count on U.S. support going forward. We should note, despite
these sanctions, that the U.S. has provided no new military assistance, at least in dollar form, this year under the Trump administration.
PIFER: Well, I think what you've seen on the part of both Europe and Ukraine is a smart approach. They're going to want to try to keep working
with the White House and the United States government. But on the other hand, I think they're thinking through a plan B if there is going to be
either no American assistance or really no American diplomatic help.
But having said that, I think Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, he goes home to Ukraine thinking this has been a pretty good week. A week ago,
Trump was talking about meeting with Putin in Budapest. That seems to have been put off because the White House understands that there's been no sign
of any movement in the Russian position on trying to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
You now have -- while the Trump administration is not prepared to provide Ukraine military assistance, it finally has imposed the first real
sanctions on Russia. And then he's had good meetings throughout Europe, commitments of European military support, for example, Gripen fighters from
Sweden. And he's also had, I think, Europe backing him on a peace plan and Europe upping the pressure on Russia along with the American sanctions. So,
it's not been a bad four days for Mr. Zelenskyy.
SCIUTTO: Here's a bigger picture question, though, because, as you know, and you watch this very closely, the Trump approach to Ukraine can be
somewhat capricious, right? It can turn on a dime from day to day. There has, over recent weeks, been, it seems, a slow turn in Trump's impression
as to where Putin stands in that it seems to be some realization that, you know, he's not that eager for peace, the Russian leader.
[18:10:00]
But as you watch this closely, do you believe that's a lasting change from President Trump and his administration, or might it change tomorrow if he
gets another phone call from Putin?
PIFER: Yes, I don't know. I mean, you're exactly right. Consistency has not been the hallmark of how Trump has approached this. So, two weeks ago, he's
talking about Ukraine could win and perhaps providing Tomahawks. Then he has a phone call with President Putin. The next day, Tomahawks are off the
table. He thinks Ukraine is in a more difficult situation and says Ukraine should consider giving up all of Donetsk. Two days later, that's off the
table. He's talking about a ceasefire in place. Two days after that, the Budapest meeting has been postponed to who knows how long. And then he
applies the first rule sanction.
So, right now, I think Ukraine is feeling better about where Mr. Trump is, certainly over the past four days as opposed to a week ago. But who knows
what happens tomorrow or on Monday?
SCIUTTO: How about Russia's position now? Because it does appear that Ukrainian attacks on Russian infrastructure are having an effect. I mean,
you see it with the availability of refined products inside the country, gasoline shortages, et cetera. You see it with impact on Russia's revenues,
in effect, from being able to produce and sell oil abroad. And now, you have these sanctions here.
Do you see Russia's position as weakening and perhaps even Vladimir Putin realizing that Russia's position is weakening?
PIFER: Well, Putin is trying to pretend like nothing has changed. But yes, going back to 2025, Putin's narrative has been, this is a special military
operation. It's not a war, it's limited, and it will not impact you at home. Well, Russians now who have to sit for a lot of time in lines waiting
to buy their gasoline are beginning to understand that, yes, the war is going to have an impact on them. So, I think that's one thing.
But there's also another thing that took place in Europe that didn't come quite to closure, but I think could be very important, is the Europeans are
looking at a way to use Russian frozen central bank assets, basically to provide $160 billion to Ukraine. If they can do that, and they hope to
finalize that if November or December, that would be a message to the Russians that the Ukrainians would have the resources they need to buy the
weapons they need for the next two and possibly three years.
Putin then has to ask himself, does he want to continue three more years where his army has been making only marginal gains on the ground, but he's
been paying an enormous price in terms of dead and wounded Russian soldiers? That might begin to change his approach.
SCIUTTO: We'll see. Ambassador Steven Pifer, thanks so much as always.
PIFER: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Now, to Canada and the Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, who says he is pausing a TV commercial which criticized U.S. tariffs on his country.
President Trump called the ad egregious and promptly terminated trade talks with Canada to make its point. The commercial borrows a 1987 radio address
by the Republican president at the time, Ronald Reagan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RONALD REAGAN, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: When someone says let's impose tariffs on foreign imports, it looks like they're doing the patriotic thing
by protecting American products and jobs. And sometimes for a short while it works, but only for a short time. But over the long run, such trade
barriers hurt every American worker and consumer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: The Reagan Library says the ad, quote, "misrepresents" that address. Both presidents, Reagan and Trump, used tariffs, but their
approach was very different. Reagan was speaking only about targeted tariffs on Japan. Trump, as you've been watching, has unilaterally imposed
blanket tariffs virtually across the world. The ad will be gone Monday, but not before it airs during at least a couple of World Series games this
weekend.
Joining us now live from Ottawa is CNN correspondent Paula Newton. And, Paula, we should know, Reagan did big picture view trade wars as negative.
Trump says trade wars are good and easy to win. And of course, this has become an international policy for him. On the facts here, based on your
best reading of this, does this ad misrepresent President Reagan's view of tariffs?
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, you know, far be it for me to weigh in here because it was edited, right? The actual speech is almost six minutes.
I will say Doug Ford, the Premier of Ontario, posted the entire thing from the Reagan Library on his account earlier this morning.
[18:15:00]
But there are two issues here. So, the first one is, unfortunately, Jim, I can tell you categorically that Ronald Reagan was a big advocate for free
trade in 1987. I heard him here in Ottawa as a young journalist say, and I'm quoting here, "That the new deal between Canada and the United States
on free trade, not only would that benefit our two countries, but it would also set an example of cooperation to all nations." Sounds like a free
trader to me. And he followed through on that, right? They really celebrated that deal that was made between Ronald Reagan and Brian
Mulroney.
Having said that, this really does rankle when you look at Ronald Reagan, what he means to the conservative movement. It was also a great excuse if
you're Donald Trump, when you have negotiations not going quite the way you want them, when you have American industry breathing down your neck about
the cost of steel and aluminum coming from Canada and saying, look, we have no substitutes. These inputs are just costing us more money. They will cost
Americans more money. It was a good excuse to perhaps play hardball at the table.
Look, both leaders, Prime Minister Mark Carney and the president will be in Asia. We'll see if they actually get back to negotiating. Doug Ford, as you
say, pulled the ad, but not until Monday. And everyone during the World Series in both the United States and Canada will hear the words of Ronald
Reagan.
SCIUTTO: So, prior to this ad controversy, were the talks going anywhere, the trade talks?
NEWTON: So, they were, Jim. In fact, officials with the Canadian government tell me that they were, but only on those specific issues on steel and on
things like aluminum, on things like lumber, and specifically on autos going almost nowhere. And Donald Trump has made it clear that he wants
American producers from those auto plants to produce the cars only in the United States.
We had a terrible week in Canada here, Jim, with both GM and Stellantis taking production away from Canada. Some of it was to move production in
the United States. The companies say that other things were economic conditions. Putting all that to one side, Canada buys hundreds of thousands
of American-made vehicles. And they themselves, the Canadian government, retaliated just the other day, again, with quotas and tariffs of their own
on American-made automobiles coming into Canada.
What does this tell you, Jim? This is still a long slog, and it doesn't matter if you're the governor of the State of Kentucky or California or the
premier of Ontario, this uncertainty hurts these economies and will continue to do so until these very large trading partners come to some kind
of agreement. It may not be free trade, but it should be something close to it.
SCIUTTO: Yes, and it's certainly hurting some American exporters as well to Canada. Paula Newton in Ottawa, thanks so much.
Now, to the ceasefire in Gaza. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Israel, the latest in a series of high-ranking members of the Trump administration
sent to monitor the ceasefire process. While touring a new U.S. military coordination center, he said there is no plan B if the ceasefire were to
fall apart. He says the U.S. is committed to making the deal work, despite what he says were expected ups and downs and challenges.
Rubio said numerous countries are ready to participate and contribute to various aspects of the agreement, but he emphasized that under the U.S.-
brokered plan, UNRWA, that is the U.N. agency dedicated to assisting Palestinians across the Middle East, will not play any role in Gaza's
future, calling the organization, without providing evidence of it, a subsidiary of Hamas.
Hamas said Friday is committed to the agreement and is working to complete the handover of the remaining deceased hostages. Salma Abdelaziz has more
on today's developments.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Bibi-sitting continues with Vice President J.D. Vance tapping shoulders with Secretary of State Marco Rubio
as he came to Israel to continue the monitoring or babysitting, if you will, of the ceasefire deal. He visited the Civil Military Coordination
Center, which has been set up by CENTCOM to implement and oversee the agreement, including the aid and any potential scrimmages that happen.
But of course, it's not just about keeping the truce and keeping the peace, it's about pushing these warring factions to phase two of the deal. Now,
the secretary of state did, of course, reference that. Take a listen to how he described it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: If Hamas refuses to demilitarize, it'll be a violation of the agreement. And that'll have to be enforced. I'm
not going to get into the mechanisms by which it is going to be enforced, but it'll have to be enforced. I mean, this is a deal, and a deal requires
conditions to be met. Israel's met their commitments. They're standing at the yellow line, and that is contingent upon the demilitarization.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: You hear the secretary of state there referencing the yellow line. So, that is a reference to the portion of the Gaza Strip, which is
still under Israeli military control. Just over 50 percent of the enclave is still occupied by Israeli troops. The rest of it, of course, is under
the control of an armed Hamas.
[18:20:00]
Now, President Trump's 20-point plan envisions that Hamas would disarm and that an Arab stabilization force would step in to provide a political and
power transition and eventually train Palestinian forces on the ground. And President Trump's envoys and senior officials are imagining that that will
take place first by replacing Israeli forces in that 50 or just slightly more than 50 percent of the enclave where they occupy with those Arab-led
forces and that, again, that would allow Hamas to disarm.
But this is a hugely ambitious, bold, some may say pie-in-the-sky idea that will take many, many more months to complete. And the question is, will the
handholding, the babysitting continue throughout this process?
Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Some good news for the markets, not so good news for Americans. Why, just released U.S. inflation data is sending all the wrong signals to
cash-strapped customers. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: In today's Business Breakout, U.S. stocks finished the trading week with across-the-board gains, all the major averages rising to records
on market-friendly inflation numbers and continued strong earnings. The Dow closed above 47,000 for the first time ever. The first U.S. economic report
to be released since the start of the government shutdown may have satisfied Wall Street, but it spelled more bad news for ordinary Americans
trying to make ends meet.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics says U.S. consumer prices rose at an annual rate of 3 percent in September. That was below expectations, but still the
hottest pace of inflation since Trump took office in January, way above the Fed's 2 percent inflation target.
All this despite President Trump's repeated claims that inflation has disappeared in the U.S.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Inflation, I've already taken care of. Economically, the country is the strongest it's ever been. Prices are way
down in our country. And inflation has been defeated. And now, our inflation is down to a perfect number, a beautiful number, hardly any at
all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: That's what Trump claims. Here are the facts. Average grocery prices are almost 1.5 percent higher than they were in January when he took
office, more than 2.5 percent higher than a year ago. Meat, poultry, fish and egg prices are more than 5 percent higher year over year. And gas
prices rose more than 4 percent year over year.
[18:25:00]
To make matters worse, California Governor Gavin Newsom says the government shutdown will soon lead to less food assistance to needy families if it
drags on much longer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): By the time the federal government is closed and Donald Trump has literally destroyed the east wing of our White House to
put his ballroom up for a quarter of a billion dollars, we are now days away from eliminating food to 5.5 million Californians around Thanksgiving.
At a time when food prices have never been higher because of Donald Trump's policies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Economists say they are seeing new signs that President Trump's tariffs are now being passed along to consumers and pushing prices higher.
Checking some of today's other business headlines, U.S. trade officials have opened an investigation into Beijing's compliance with an agreement
signed in 2020. The news comes just days before President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are set to meet in South Korea. U.S. officials say China
has apparently failed to respect the deal struck during Trump's first term. A trade investigation could authorize even higher U.S. tariffs on China.
Argentine investors are bracing for market turbulence next week after Sunday's crucial midterm elections. Trump-backed Argentine President Javier
Milei is not on the ballot but his party is. The vote will serve as a referendum on Milei's drastic economic reforms which have slashed inflation
but have caused economic hardship for many. The peso fell to a record low against the dollar earlier this week despite a recent U.S. government
bailout. Investors believe there could be further weakness ahead.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has warned that more U.S. flight delays could occur in the coming days as the U.S. government shutdown drags
on. Duffy points out that air traffic controllers are set to miss their first complete paycheck since the shutdown began. They received only a
partial paycheck on October 14th. The FAA reported air traffic control staffing problems in many U.S. cities on Friday including Atlanta, Denver
and Newark airports, all very busy ones.
Just ahead, the ACLU accuses ICE of mistreating pregnant women while Democrats hold a shadow hearing in Chicago. I'm going to speak to one
political candidate who was body slammed while protesting ICE raids. That's just after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto. And here are the international headlines we're watching today.
A White House official says Kirill Dmitriev, the Kremlin's top economic envoy, will meet with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on Saturday in
Miami. Those talks follow a meeting between European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in London today. They vowed together to turn
up the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire and come to the negotiating table.
New York Attorney General Letitia James pleaded not guilty today to charges of mortgage fraud. She is a fierce critic of President Donald Trump and is
one of three of his perceived political rivals to face criminal charges in the past few weeks after the president publicly called for them. James says
the U.S. Justice Department is being weaponized by Trump as a tool of revenge.
Tropical Storm Melissa is making its way through the Caribbean now and will likely strengthen into a major hurricane by the weekend. It's already
killed three people in Haiti, brought flooding as well to the Dominican Republic. Jamaica is now bracing as the storm's outer bands hit the island.
It's forecast to become a Category 4 hurricane this weekend.
U.S. immigration authorities are facing fresh criticism, this time for their treatment of pregnant women. The American Civil Liberties Union sent
a letter to the Department of Homeland Security accusing ICE facilities in Louisiana and Georgia of not providing proper medical care to more than two
dozen pregnant women, including some who then miscarried. The DHS calls the allegations unsubstantiated and unverifiable. The department released a
statement saying, pregnant women receive regular prenatal visits, mental health services, nutritional support and accommodations aligned with
community standards of care.
House Democrats are drawing further attention to ongoing and sometimes aggressive ICE raids in Chicago. They're holding a, quote, "shadow hearing"
in the city on the White House's immigration crackdown. Some of those speaking at the hearing, protesters at the nearby Broadview facility,
demonstrators have been body slammed, tear gassed and more by ICE agents. Officers even shot one pastor, you see it there, in the head with a pepper
ball. Not clear why. Take a listen to what he had to say earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. DAVID BLACK, PASTOR AND PROSTER: We need help when the federal government is attacking American citizens. Who will protect us?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Candidate for Congress Kat Abughazaleh protests regularly outside the Broadview facility and she joins me now. Kat, good to have you back.
KAT ABUGHAZALEH, U.S. DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: Thanks for having me on.
SCIUTTO: I want to get to ICE tactics in general because we're certainly seeing a pattern across the country here. But first to these claims of
mistreatment, specifically of pregnant women. ICE is calling them unverifiable. You've had a lot of experience protesting. Tell us what backs
these claims of mistreatment of pregnant women who've been detained.
ABUGHAZALEH: What we are hearing in terms of the stories of detainees is coming from detainees who fear for their lives and their family's safety by
speaking out. Our elected officials are not allowed to inspect facilities as they are allowed to by law because ICE is denying them entry. And so,
when people are speaking out about these conditions, they are risking their own lives to do so.
We have heard from dozens of people who go in and out of these facilities across states that call their families and refuse to elaborate even more on
some horrors that they explain. Like we have heard from someone in my own district whose family member was shipped to Texas and he wouldn't elaborate
on anything else except it was the first time he had slept on a bed in a week after being detained at Broadview.
So, this is what we have to substantiate these claims. And if -- one moment, sorry. This is what we have to substantiate these claims. And if
ICE really wants to substantiate their claims of actually providing care and proper conditions to people, then they should let elected officials
inspect these facilities.
[18:35:00]
SCIUTTO: There are so many questions about ICE tactics here. One is the use of force, because so many people are documenting their encounters with ICE
and you yourself have been thrown to the ground by ICE multiple times. For the instances of this that you've witnessed, has that force been justified
at all or is it explainable at all by a threat to those officers? Could they have perceived a threat from the people that they use force on based
on what you've seen, yourself included?
ABUGHAZALEH: It has never been justified. And frankly, their perception of a threat is a lie. These are men in full military gear going up against
unarmed protesters. We have songs and signs and chants. They have guns and tear gas and pepper balls. And if they are so intimidated by us exercising
our First Amendment rights on public property, they should not be in a position where they have so many weapons to use against us.
ICE will claim anything to get out of accountability, to get out of responsibility. And none of the violence I have seen by ICE has ever been
justified.
SCIUTTO: In terms of how ICE chooses who it confronts, I'll just share some of my own experience here in D.C. because I know someone who was confronted
by ICE who's a legal resident of this country and his belief in understanding the community is that, for instance, they look for delivery
vehicles and people who look brown in those delivery vehicles and then go up and say, hey, do you have any proof of citizenship?
In your experience, how else do they choose? Is it is it clear cut racial profiling?
ABUGHAZALEH: Yes, there's a racial profiling aspect of this. Absolutely. But really, ICE chooses to torment anyone they see as vulnerable. That's
why we see so many videos of ICE abusing women, whether it's shoving them, throwing them, shooting them, tear gassing them or even being aroused at
their own pain. ICE loves to confront anyone who even is somewhat not even confrontational, but disagrees with the idea that masked men should be
allowed to go into communities and terrorize them.
We just saw today ICE was in Wrigleyville in a neighborhood over here in Chicago and was abducting people. And then when neighbors came out, they
tear gassed them. They threw tear gas out of a car in a residential neighborhood. There is no rhyme or reason to who ICE chooses to terrorize,
except it's whatever those agents want.
And frankly, a lot of these times we don't know if they are actually agents that work for the government. These could just be men that decided to put
on a mask, go to Spirit Halloween and pick up a Call of Duty costume and then go and beat up their neighbors.
In the entire time I have been protesting at Broadview, I have seen two badges from so-called federal agents, including the guy that threw me down
in a video that went pretty widespread. I have no idea who that man is. He was wearing a mask. There was no identification and there's no way to find
out.
SCIUTTO: Yes, it seems, I mean, fairly deliberate, right? Masks, no identification, no signs on their uniforms of who they work for, who they
claim to work for. Let me ask you this, because more and more we're seeing in communities --
ABUGHAZALEH: It's how Secret Police works.
SCIUTTO: Yes. We're seeing in communities people standing up, shouting down ICE officers, but also at times trying to get in the way, right, and try to
prevent people from being taken. Of course, as you have seen in your own experience, ICE then will often use force on those people who try to get in
the middle. Have you seen those, in effect, civil disobedience, right, episodes succeed, right, in terms of keeping someone from getting taken or,
in your experience, does ICE then use that interference as further claim justification, right, to, well, to use force on more than one person or
anybody trying to get involved?
ABUGHAZALEH: Yes, to both of those questions. I mean, we have seen videos from all over the country of people just yelling at ICE agents, filming,
and they get scared and go away. I have personally played tug of war with a man's body who was being dragged into -- like, abducted by ICE, and I and
three others kept that from happening. And frankly, we don't even know if he was being abducted by ICE, because here's the thing. ICE tries to use
this idea of resistance as a way to increase its terror campaign.
[18:40:00]
But frankly, I think it is a normal response when you see masked men come into your neighborhood, come into hospitals, come into schools, you have no
idea who they are, who they work for, what orders they're following, to not go with them, to not see your family and friends thrown into a van. If this
was happening in a movie, people would see that's -- those are the bad guys. We have no idea if these men work for the government. We have already
seen reports of men pretending to be ICE, abducting and assaulting women.
So, I think if you want to make sure there is a better process for whatever government operations you're doing, no matter your department, you should
at least identify yourself and maybe not operate in this weird, opaque way where you're in full military gear as you're going through residential
neighborhoods and not identifying yourself.
SCIUTTO: I mean, the not identifying yourself part, listen, I deal with cops in a lot of cities, have a dangerous job, do dangerous things, they
identify themselves. They're not wearing masks. They show their badges, they show their names and they show their departments. Kat Abughazaleh,
keep yourself safe.
ABUGHAZALEH: The military does too.
SCIUTTO: Exactly. Keep yourself safe in these interactions. Thanks so much for joining again.
ABUGHAZALEH: Thanks, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Coming up on "The Brief," the president of South Korea sharing his own thoughts about the global popularity of K-culture. We're going to take
you to Seoul next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: From movie and television dramas to music to food, Korean culture is captivating global audiences and shaping international trends. South
Korean President Lee Jae Myung spoke to CNN's Will Ripley about K-culture ahead of next week's APEC summit, which, of course, is hosting world
leaders, including President Trump, Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Will joins me now from Seoul. I wonder if the Korean president's quite proud of how broadly Korean culture appeals today.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He is. And it's one area where he sees a huge opportunity for South Korea, even as it faces
increasing competition, particularly in the manufacturing sector, and, of course, also militarily from China, which is switching to six or even
seven-day work weeks, even as President Lee is trying to make working conditions better for South Koreans, having grown up in a very humble
upbringing himself. He's trying to, you know, reduce the number of hours that people are working, even as they're up against China, where it's, you
know, 24/7 in some cases.
[18:45:00]
But he thinks that in this area of K-culture, there's a real opportunity for South Korea to not only share its values around the world, but also
make some serious money.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY: We've got a whole spread here. This is like that scene from K-pop "Demon Hunters," where they're in the plane and then they're -- yes, right?
That's what it looks like right now.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Yes, even South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is a fan of K-pop "Demon Hunters," the most popular Netflix movie of all time.
And then there's the Netflix mega-hit "Squid Game," two global sensations with one thing in common, K-culture.
LEE JAE MYUNG, SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT T (through translator): I believe K- food is probably one of the healthiest cuisines in the world.
RIPLEY: We also brought these apples here, which I believe are from Andong, your hometown. We also have on the table tangerines.
MYUNG (through translator): So, Korean tangerines are quite different from oranges, but I must say they are very delicious. Once you try them, you'll
see just how delicious they are.
RIPLEY: What do you like about the K-drama, "When Life Gives You Tangerines?" I heard you binge-watched it and you even cried.
MYUNG (through translator): This drama is very Korean and it depict an area, a very specific part of Korea, Jeju Island, and it is set in the
past. And so, when I watched this, I was curious whether the audience in the global community would empathize with this drama, and I was very
surprise to find that many, many people around the world empathize with it.
RIPLEY (voice-over): The world is obsessed with K-culture, from hit K-pop songs like Rose's "APT." --
(MUSIC PLAYING)
RIPLEY (voice-over): -- to Oscar-winning films like "Parasite." President Lee says he knows why.
MYUNG (through translator): K-pop and then K-drama and movies. Now, K- beauty, and K-food. But I believe on top of all of this are the values and orders. I believe Korean democracy will be able to become the golden
standard for democracy around the world, because as you might have seen last December 3rd, many Korean protesters were peacefully demonstrating
with their light sticks.
RIPLEY (voice-over): He's talking about the shocking and short-lived martial law declaration by his now-impeached and imprisoned predecessor,
Yoon Suk Yeol. Democracy and the peaceful transfer of power prevailed.
MYUNG (through translator): And if the success of Korea can be a source of hope for many other countries around the world, that is also a good thing.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Surprisingly, President Lee was not shy about eating on camera.
MYUNG (through translator): It's very good. And I hope you get a good filling today so you will be able to skip dinner. If you visit Gyeongju
during APEC, I am very sure that you will be able to have this bread. I hope you try a lot of Korean cuisine, experience the culture here and have
a nice time.
RIPLEY: I look forward to it. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you so much for your time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY (on camera): Lots of delicious Korean food certainly is going to be passed around at APEC, Jim. I've been chowing down on myself just a few
days here already, and I've had some great meals. Gimbap is delicious. I love kimchi. It's probably my favorite side dish of all time. If you've
never tried it, you've got to give it a try.
SCIUTTO: I'm right there with you. Love Korean food. Will Ripley in Seoul, thanks so much. In today's Field of Play, Game 1 of the World Series, will
Shohei Ohtani of the L.A. Dodgers dominate? Will the Toronto Blue Jays triumph for the first time in more than 30 years? We're going to be Rogers
Centre side of the game with the latest.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:50:00]
SCIUTTO: Newly released images are offering the clearest picture yet of the extent of President Donald Trump's demolition of the entire East Wing of
the White House. These satellite photos show what the East Wing looked like before work began on what will be a $300 million Trump ball room and what
that site on the right there looks like today. The White House says it has been transparent about the process all along, though President Trump said
earlier this year the project would not interfere or touch the East Wing, let alone completely demolish it.
Also, today, White House officials tell CNN that the donors to the ballroom project might get their names displayed on a plaque or even etched into the
building itself. No final decisions have been made. However, those donations are tax deductible, as it turns out.
From tariffs to, well, maybe some triples. Canada and the U.S. facing off once again today, this time in the World Series. In just over an hour, the
L.A. Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays will take the field at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani coming off a white-hot
appearance against the Milwaukee Brewers, in which he probably played the best baseball game ever, hitting three home runs, striking out 10 batters,
his pitcher in the final game of the NLCS. The Blue Jays, decidedly the underdogs heading into tonight.
Our Andy Scholes is on the ground in Toronto. Listen, baseball's so unpredictable, you don't want to sort of say any team's going to run off
with it, but boy, I mean, the Dodgers and perhaps the best baseball player ever, Shohei Ohtani, they're certainly hot heading into this.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Jim, yes, certainly hard to bet against the Dodgers in this series, especially with how they've been playing in
this postseason thus far. Nine and one to get to this point, that pitching staff just out of this world.
Shohei Ohtani, he just took the field here a little while ago to go warm up, just threw a ball to someone in the outfield and they dropped it. That
person's probably never going to forget that moment. They don't have that ball anymore.
But, Jim, the last time we were on this field here in the World Series, 1993, the last pitch of the World Series on this field, Joe Carter hit a
walk-off home run to win it for the Blue Jays. So, the fans here are certainly hoping they can get some more magical moments just like that.
But as you mentioned, there's certainly going to be the underdogs in this series against Ohtani and the Dodgers. You went through it, Jim. Ohtani, an
unbelievable game to end that NLCS against the Brewers in game four. People are calling it the best game that anyone ever played in baseball. Three
home runs, then on the mound, 10 strikeouts, six shutout innings.
I mean, Ohtani is so incredible. He hits balls out of ballparks. He throws 100 miles per hour. He saves cats that get stuck high up in trees. He does
it all. And I spoke with some of Ohtani's teammates and asked him if they could just put into words how amazing he is at the game of baseball.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAX MUNCY, LOS ANGELES DODGERS 3B: He's expected to hit these monster home runs and do these incredible performances on the mound, and very rarely
does he disappoint in that sense. And when you're able to accomplish that in a game that's based on failure, it's truly incredible.
FREDDIE FREEMAN, LOS ANGELES DODGERS 1B: I just don't understand. Sometimes you just like make sure it's not a machine under there sometimes. He's
special, and I'm just glad that I'm alive and in this generation that I get to see Ohtani play baseball.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Yes, Ohtani, he's going to lead off the World Series tonight, and then he's expected to pitch game four of this series back in L.A. And we've
mentioned Dodgers are the favorites. They're trying to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since the Yankees did it back in 2000, the
year 2000, when they won three in a row.
Now, the Blue Jays, meanwhile, you know, they're back in the series for the first time since 1993. They showed so much grit to get to this point. You
know, they were down 2-0 to the Mariners, then they were down 3-2 in that series, then they were down two runs in game seven. Every single time they
fought back to get to this point, to get back to the World Series. And I asked the team, you know, what would it mean to finish this journey and win
not only the City of Toronto another World Series title but the entire country of Canada.
[18:55:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR GUERRERO JR., TORONTO BLUE JAYS 1B: I was not even born when they went in the World Series, you know.
SHANE BIEBER, TORONTO BLUE JAYS PITCHER: I don't know if you can put that in words, right.
GEORGE SPRINGER, TORONTO BLUE JAYS RF: The city the fans you know the country has been kind of -- you know, they wanted this for a long time. So,
for us to be here, it's an absolute honor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Now, while being the underdogs, Jim, the Blue Jays, they do have a little bit of history on their side. So, five times the World Series has
featured a team that swept a league championship series taking on a team that needed seven games to win their LCS, every single one of those
previous four instances the team that needed seven games went on to win the World Series. So, all these Blue Jays fans here and the team certainly
hoping that history repeats itself.
SCIUTTO: Yes. There's a lot of history that sometimes where, I guess, keeping your skills sharp maybe you get a little cold if you hadn't played
a little bit, maybe. We'll see. Anyway, you'll be there, I won't. You're lucky, I'm not. Andy Scholes in Toronto, thanks so much.
And thanks so much all of you. I'm Jim Sciuto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." Have a great weekend. See you Monday.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
END
